dear tom
the answer to the first bit ["larger tradition ... late medieval"] is a
qualified "yes" - "yes" because it is public, and it uses some of the
same symbols such as white shirts, sticks etc .. qualified, because (1)
as Mary Mansfield has shown, public penance [other than for heresy]
varies greatly geographically; and the relationship between public
penance and public, secular punishment is extremely complicated; (2) i
would argue that the *meaning* of penances for heresy, and the
discursive "work" that they do, differs quite a lot from other penance
and other secular punishment. only i'm not going to argue it here, cos
it will take too long. sorry.
in terms of later connections: repentant heretics were required to wear
yellow crosses all the time [and there were of course Jews' rotae,
prostitutes dress codes etc etc - incidentally there is an interesting
piece on semiotics of dress by Gabor Klaniczay in his book *The Uses of
Supernatural Power*] ... compare and contrast to William F.Buckley Jnr.:
"everyone detected with AIDS should be tattooed in the upper forearm, to
protect common needle users, and on the buttocks to protect
victimization of other homosexuals" ["Crucial Steps in Combatting the
AIDS Epidemic: Identify ALl the Carriers" New York Times 18 March 1986 p.27]
cheers
john arnold
Centre for Medieval Studies
Kings Manor
Exhibition Square
York YO1 2EP
ENGLAND
(01904) 433948
On Fri, 28 Jun 1996, Thomas Izbicki wrote:
> Is the public aspect of the punishment of heretics then a part of a
> larger tradition of the humiliation of sinners still practiced into the
> late medieval period? For that matter, is the sort of public punishment
> one sees mentioned in connection with colonial America (stocks etc.) a
> further continuation?
>
> tom izbicki
>
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